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Milk thistle extract (Silybum marianum), also known as St. Mary’s thistle, is an herbal supplement primarily used to support liver function in horses.
Milk thistle seeds and leaves contain many bioactive compounds, collectively referred to as silymarin. Silymarin is a flavonolignan with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating properties.
It can be used to provide nutritional support to horses dealing with inflammation including inflammatory airway disease or allergies and may help with neuropathic pain in chronic laminitis. [12] The antioxidant properties of milk thistle can help horses stay healthy and recover faster from exercise and illness.
The liver is a crucial organ involved in detoxification and metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It breaks down toxins in the body for elimination and is therefore susceptible to injury or damage.
Older horses are likely to benefit from nutritional support of liver function because they have a longer period of lifetime exposure to toxins that could affect liver health.
Horses with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) might have excess fat deposits in the liver which can negatively affect its function, although this is rare except in advanced cases. These horses might benefit from milk thistle supplementation to support metabolic health.
Mad Barn’s Milk thistle extract seed extract is a dried, powdered form of the seed of the Silybum marianum plant. The recommended dose is 4 grams per day for a 500 kg horse. This can be provided as dried powder added to the feed or as brewed tea poured over the feed.
Benefits of Milk Thistle in Horses
Milk thistle is primarily known for its hepatoprotective effects, meaning it can protect liver tissue from damage and support the function of the liver. Because the liver affects so many physiological processes in the horse’s body, boosting the function of this organ can have wide-ranging benefits for your horse’s health.
Below are the top seven benefits of Milk Thistle extract:
1) Supports liver health
Milk thistle is well-documented to protect liver cells under many different conditions.
In rats given toxic doses of the drug paracetamol, Milk Thistle protected from fibrosis (scarring) and reduced liver enzyme elevations that indicated liver damage. [13]
It was shown to significantly reduce liver enzymes and ultrasound findings of fatty liver in morbidly obese men and women. [14]
Silymarin, the Milk Thistle extract, has been shown to protect the liver via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects in a variety of viral, metabolic and toxic liver diseases. [15]